The present invention relates to an embroidery data processing device for processing embroidery data to assign a sewing attribution to sub-areas included in an embroidery area.
Conventionally, in the field of industrial sewing machines, an embroidery data processing device which is provided with a micro-computer and is capable of processing embroidery data having high precision within a relatively short period of time is known. In such an embroidery data processing device, when embroidery data is generated based on an original picture pattern (i.e., a desired image), the following processing is executed.
Firstly, the original picture pattern is divided into groups having the same colors, and the embroidery data is created such that the areas having the same color are embroidered successively. The picture pattern for the embroidery data is input in the processing device by tracing the original with use of a tablet. Alternatively, the original may be scanned by a scanner, displayed on a monitor device, and then the displayed image is traced with a mouse.
If the embroidery area is a linear area extending as a thin elongated path, a zigzag stitch or a line stitch is assigned to the area; and if the area is a two-dimensional area having a certain area, a satin stitch or a Tatami stitch is assigned to the area.
Creation of the embroidery data according to a conventional method is described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1. In this example, the original picture pattern has six embroidery areas R0-R5, and the following attribution is assigned to each area.
R0; a red thread, a Tatami stitch;
R1: a black thread, a satin stitch;
R2: a yellow thread, a satin stitch;
R3: a green thread, a Tatami stitch;
R4: a green thread, a Tatami stitch; and
R5: a black thread, a zigzag stitch.
Setting for embroidery areas is performed such that a sewing attribution is determined first, and then an outline of an embroidery area to which the determined attribution is assigned is input by tracing a path through the tablet or the mouse as described above. The input embroidery areas are displayed as a color image on a display of the data processing device, as shown in FIG. 2.
When certain areas (secondary areas) are included (i.e., to be overlapped) in another area (first area), it should be determined that which sewing attribution is to be assigned to the areas which are parts of the first area and corresponding to the secondary areas. It should be noted that the areas R1 and R2 are embroidery areas to be formed on the area R0. These areas (i.e., the areas R1 and R2) are referred to as the secondary areas). Portions of the area R0 on which the embroidery areas R1 and R2 are to be formed are referred to as sub-areas. The sub-areas are formed as parts of the area R0.
In the example of FIG. 2, since the areas R1 and R2 are located (i.e., to be overlapped) inside the area R0, the sub-areas corresponding to the areas R1 and R2 may be formed to be blank portions, or portions having the same sewing attribution as the other portion of the area R0. In other words, the sub-areas corresponding to the areas R1 and R2 may be filled, when embroidered, with a red thread, in Tatami stitches, or may be formed to be a blank portion having no stitch.
When the attribution is assigned to the sub-areas, it should be ensured that the areas R0, R1 and R2 are embroidered in an appropriate order. In the above example, the area R0 is embroidered first, followed by area R1 and then area R2. If the sub-area corresponding to the area R1 should be formed as a blank portion (i.e., no stitching is performed for the sub-area), since the areas R1 and R2 are formed after the area R0 is formed, the areas R1 and R2 will not be deformed or hidden by the area R0.
In other words, if the area R2 is formed before the area R0, and if the sub-area corresponding to the area R2 is not a blank portion, the area R2 is covered by the area R0. Therefore, in order to obtain an intended effect, the area R2 should be formed after the area R0 is formed, and in such a case, the area R2 may be formed to have a stand-out effect, or three-dimensional effect.
Conventionally, in order to generate the embroidery data defining such filled-in and blank portions, a first outline of an entire figure, and one or more second outlines of sub-area(s) inside the entire figure are designated. Then, the area between the first and second outlines are defined as the filled-in (embroidered) portion.
In the example of FIG. 1, the line L0, which is the first outline, and the line L1, which is the second outline, are designated, and then the area between the lines L0 and L1 is defined as the filled-in area.
In accordance with the conventional method described above, in order to switch a sub-area to be formed as the blank portion, i.e., to change a combination of the first outline and the second outline, it is necessary to release the combination having already been defined, and then another combination of the first and second outlines is determined. If changing of the blank portions (i.e., the combination of the first and second outlines) are to be executed relatively frequently, operation becomes very troublesome since the combination previously defined should be released every time the change is made. Further, it is very difficult to identify which sewing attribution is assigned to a sub-area from a displayed image.